Covent Garden is in the heart of the West End, with Theatreland and countless other options for entertainment, dining, and shopping at your doorstep. Known for attractions like the Royal Opera House, and the lovely covered market - the Covent Garden Piazza - as well as several museums including the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden is certainly a destination. Covent Garden is also one of London's most popular office locations, and many of the people who choose to live here will do so because they enjoy a stroll to work for a commute.
This is a very diverse area, with a number of different communities. But with so many visitors and commuters, it can be hard to get a sense of the local residents' community. Covent Garden is especially popular with arts and media types.
Like much of Central London with much visitor and late night traffic, Covent Garden is generally safe, but there are some concerns about various types of anti-social behaviour and theft. About 12% of the area's crime was violent, and most of the rest falls into those categories. Annual crime has gone down over the last few years.
Parking in this area ranges from difficult and expensive to very difficult and expensive. Covent Garden is within the congestion charge zone.
There are abundant restaurants, bars, and pubs within walking distance your flat anywhere in this neighbourhood. This is the area the rest of London travels to for nights out.
There are not a lot of families living in this neighbourhood, and not very many primary and secondary schools - although the ones that are there generally perform well, and there are many renowned universities in the area. Housing consists mainly of flats, rather than family homes, and prices are very high. This is also not a very quiet neighbourhood - it is one of the few areas of London that attract visitors 24/7, with a number of late-night restaurants, bars and clubs around.
A built up area with mostly flats to live in and little green space, this is not an ideal place to keep a dog.
Covent Garden is extremely central - Zone 1 - and well-connected by every measure. Covent Garden Tube station is on the Piccadilly Line, while Holborn is on the Piccadilly and Central lines. Tottenham Court Road is on the Central and Northern Lines. Leicester Square is on the Piccadilly and Northern Lines, Chancery Lane is on the Central Line, Charing Cross offers access to the Bakerloo and Northern Lines, and Embankment is on the District and Circle Lines. There are also rail services from Charing Cross, and there are countless all-hours buses serving the area. There Santander cycle docks around, and many of those who live here are blessed with being able to walk to work. Heathrow Airport can be reached via the Piccadilly Line.